Although more than 600 Division I volleyball players have entered the transfer portal this offseason, none have joined Texas volleyball.
And no one likely will anytime soon, based on the NCAA schedule.
The portal closed Jan. 5, and starting middle blocker Ayden Ames and reserve outside hitter Whitney Lauenstein are the only Longhorns who entered it. Although Texas coach Jerritt Elliott and his staff can still sign players that have already submitted their names into the portal, it’s unlikely that a player will join for the spring semester, considering that classes started this week and spring enrollment at Texas ends Jan. 20.
That means Texas has 14 players slated for its spring roster, including three class of 2026 signees: setter Genevieve Harris, libero Emma Cugino and outside hitter Henley Anderson. Elliott will have up to four available roster spots for the 2026 season if he chooses to sign a player after the spring semester.
But will the Longhorns sign any players? They welcome back nine rotation players from a team that went 26-4 and fell to Wisconsin in a regional championship, including All-American outside hitters in Torrey Stafford and Cari Spears. However, they have to replace two regular starters in libero Emma Halter and Ames.
Ramsey Gary served as a defensive specialist this past season, but expect her to inherit the libero jersey from Halter. Before transferring to Texas prior to last season, Gary emerged as an All-Big Ten libero at Indiana.
If Gary takes over as libero, veteran Anja Kujundžić and Cugino will likely serve as rotational players on the back row.
Texas only has two players — Nya Bunton and Taylor Harvey — listed as middle blockers on its roster, but 6-foot-4 freshman outside hitter Addy Gaido has cross-trained at the position. The Georgetown High School product will likely see action at middle in the spring as Elliott explores his options in the rotation.